COLLECTIONS: Lobstermen

Since the collapse of groundfish in the 1990s, lobster has taken a 90% share of eastern Maine’s fishing economy. Many attribute the health and potential sustainability of this fishery to simple regulations and a territorial culture in towns like Stonington, ME. In this coastal town of 1,200, fishing operations are all family run, turf is closely guarded, and fishermen themselves have a part in setting (and occasionally enforcing) the rules.